Relief from cooker whistles and unmuting shenanigansStand-up comics rejoice getting back to the stage

Stand-up comics can breathe easy as it is time to bid adieu (at least for the most part) to pressure cooker whistles and blank stares from their muted and unmuted Zoom audiences. With COVID-19 restrictions being eased after the second wave of the pandemic, stand-up comedians are finally back on stage and doing what they do best — making a room light up with laughter, live.
Getting audiences to crack up
It feels surreal to be cracking up people in the live set-up, says comedian Praveen Kumar, who did a live show last week, after almost six months of doing virtual shows. “For the past seven months, we have been performing for a small window of a screen. All our actions got restricted to that small space. But now, suddenly the whole stage is yours. I have been doing comedy for so many years now, but these seven months made such a huge difference,” he notes.
While the virtual medium helped comics like himself keep their art alive, the end result was only 50-60 per cent of the live set-up, he notes. “I am not complaining, because we at least got to do this in the virtual space, when the entire world stopped. But people specialising in body-language humour might find it restrictive to perform virtually. Instead of actions being louder than words, your words should in turn be louder than your actions,” he smiles.
Getting audiences rolling in the aisles through a screen is harder than it looks, comics say. Stand-up comedian Jagan Krishnan notes, “It took us a significant amount of time to even understand the medium and rework our stuff accordingly. We were already used to blank stares from audience members during a performance but getting accustomed to flush sounds and cooker whistles, in the middle of performance, was definitely new.”
‘The vibe of the stage is unmatched’
The pandemic has definitely thrown up time for writing new jokes and polishing old ones. But the vibe of the stage is unmatched, says comedian Karthigeyan Durai, who is looking forward to doing a live show in Pondicherry in a few days. “The applause and roar that you hear from audiences backstage, just moments before stepping onto the stage, is such a rush. My last live show was just before the second wave,” he recalls with a smile, adding that as with any occupation, stand-up comedy, too, comes with its own occupational hazard.
“Every profession has an occupational hazard. Similarly, here, when a joke lands virtually, the entire essence or emotion of it does not reach the audience. For instance, just when you are about to crack your punchline, someone from the audience will scream, ‘andha stove ah niruthu’ at home (laughs). That ends up spoiling the mood. But the live show audience are much more focused. The vibe of the audience reflects in the comedian as well, so that energy conversion is important,” explains Karthigeyan.
The internet and bandwidth pose huge challenges, points out fellow stand-up comic Syama Harini. “People not wanting to switch on their videos is another huge challenge that I faced with Zoom shows. If I can’t see or hear people laugh, how will I know whether I am doing a good show?” she asks.
‘Important to make audiences feel safe’
The restrictions may have eased, but the responsibilities shouldn’t, comics note. No comedy show is more important than the health and safety of the audiences, says Jagan, adding, “Post the second wave, most of us got a bit more cautious and prepared, I believe. Even the popular crowd-pulling comics have restricted themselves to perform for minimal crowds with social distancing, as we still don’t have a clear picture of how the situation will be.”
Praveen adds, “We want them to be relaxed and safe so that they are able to laugh and have a good time. Make sure that temperature checks and social distancing are followed and that everybody wears a mask. The only person not wearing a mask will be me, and I am double vaccinated and will further be away from the crowd.”